Author Topic: Iran Jails Facebook Users For 127 Years  (Read 381 times)

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Offline EC

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Iran Jails Facebook Users For 127 Years
« on: July 14, 2014, 10:16:59 am »
Eight Facebook activists in Iran been jailed for a total of 127 years for making posts critical of the ruling regime.

Iran's IRNA news agency said they had been convicted for spreading propaganda, trying to undermine national security and insulting the country's leaders.

The eight people are reported to be administrators of pages on the social network, but the exact pages and the identity of those jailed has not been revealed.

The court handed down sentences between 11 and 21 years, reported IRNA, with the jail terms passed in April after several court appearances. They are understood to have appealed.
Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (R) and first-ever female foreign ministry spokesperson Marzieh Afkham Twitter is banned - but Foreign Minister Javad Zarif (R) has an account

Facebook, YouTube and Twitter are banned in Iran despite top officials such as Foreign Minister Javad Zarif having accounts.

However, tech-savvy citizens often use proxy servers and other workarounds to get past the controls.

Authorities clamped down on social media in the wake of 2009 street protests against the re-election of former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Sites like Twitter were accused of being instrumental in organising the unrest.

In May, an Iranian court also ordered Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg to appear to answer complaints the Facebook-owned applications Instagram and WhatsApp violate individuals' privacy.

President Rouhani, who took power last year, had promised greater freedom on social and media issues but traditionalists in key institutions are thought to have blocked reform.

http://news.sky.com/story/1300561/iran-jails-facebook-users-for-127-years
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Re: Iran Jails Facebook Users For 127 Years
« Reply #1 on: July 14, 2014, 10:42:41 am »
Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the rest.